Stormtrooper/Blackhole Hologram - LC - Comic Packs (13)

Shadow stormtroopers capture Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia on Vorzyd V. The Rebels are on the planet, also known as the Gambler's World, to stop the evil Empire's main source of income. After kidnapping the Rebels, the stormtroopers speak with Blackhole, the Imperial Intelligence Director, who orders the prisoners interrogated by an IT-O Droid.

Perhaps the very first Expanded Universe character in modern collecting that made it into the mainstream of the collector psyche was the Blackhole Stormtrooper. A standout character due to its familiar look but with opposite characteristics, it took a while for Hasbro to knock one out. But Gentle Giant Ltd., Medicom Toy and other licensees made this Imperial soldier a priority and it just took some time for Hasbro to give us their impression. Hasbro finally did get one out to us and released one as an exclusive in 2006's The Saga Collection (with a special silver stand) and it quickly became a collector favorite figure, quickly selling and being army built in many collectors' homes. In fact, the exclusive version of it didn't meet collector demand and it was rereleased in 2008's TAC Saga Legends line (an Fans' Choice winner) but this time it came with a special black Expanded Universe coin. This figure also sold through very briskly too. Something about a "reverse" Stormtrooper action figure is quite intriguing and exciting apparently and every action figure version of them seems to be a hit with collectors. And since the character's origin dates back to the Gambler's World comic strip series by Russ Manning in 1979, it is essentially a vintage character in spirit despite not being from the original three films. Thanks to a desire for everything EU lately, it appears that the Blackhole Stormtrooper/Shadow Stormtrooper will continue to be a mainstay in the modern toy line.

Hasbro has given us a plethora of "black" stormtroopers since that first 2006 exclusive and it gets another turn in the 2010 Comic Packs line (and it will be one of the last sets we should see for quite some time). Debuting in this set however is the Blackhole Hologram, who actually looks quite a bit different from its comic book appearance. This faux-Emperor-like visage is interesting to say the least and a very spooky accessory in this Comic Packs set. But it is arguably one of the cooler ones we have seen in this sub-line of Expanded Universe figures. It is tooled very well and has a nice mixture a clear white and clear black plastic swirled throughout it very athletic physique. And to make the point of it being a hologram, Hasbro has incorporated "sparkles" as painted stars on both sides of this miniature figure. It looks splendid and while we don't think this equals the value of a second figure, it is still cool to have it finally. The Stormtrooper is made from the 2007 TAC Imperial Stormtrooper (30 20) mold (the 2008 TAC GameStop exclusive Stormtrooper Commander also uses this sculpt) and it is a fair choice for this character. But the loose-fitting helmet wobbles around too much and sits a little askew on the figure's head. It is not terribly distracting, but we feel it was a figure that didn't need to be crafted with a removable helmet. Once again, non-removable helmets add a level of mystery of ominousness to Star Wars characters we know very little about, so to put a face with the mystery sort of gives unnecessary answers to long term questions (that should remain questions).

We also get an EU interpreted version of the interrogation droid. Hasbro has cleverly incorporated the simulated smoke as a stand for the droid that sits atop three prongs and holds it up very well. (If you recall 2007's TAC R2-D2 (30 04) figure and how the flames held R2-D2 up off the ground, the same principle is used here.) It looks great and was a wise choice for this set. The interrogation droid doesn't offer anything exciting to the set, but it is a great backdrop for whatever interaction your Stormtrooper and Blackhole Hologram have. There are a lot of "black" figures in this set and we have to admit that their uniformity looks pretty neat. And while another Shadow Stormtrooper or Blackhole Stormtrooper is not the most needed action figure for our collections, it is a great thing that Hasbro made it their mission to take a wholly new approach with the character. And between the one Stormtrooper figure and the two "larger" accessories, we think that Hasbro did their part to give us enough for the standard retail pricing. It's worth its price tag in other words. This set is one that will likely impress you more out of the package because the figures need to be inspected at a closer range for full appreciation. We like this set very much and we hope that Hasbro will find a way to continue to bring us more Expanded Universe in the future. We don't think the EU needs to be represented as heavily as it has in the past and we are thankful for the focus of The Vintage Collection, but we still know that the EU is a very important part of collecting. Only time will tell.